I got the starter kit from midwest w/ the better bottle, 2 cases of amber bottles, and their autumn amber ale kit upgraded to the wyyest smack pack. And I found a turkey frier setup for like 45 bucks plus shipping (found here)

oh and some wine yeast to start on some apfelwein

Has anyone ever had any experience with this kit from midwest? I was originally going to follow the beginning recipe in my book, but for the preboil it specifies i need 1/2lb of crystal crushed specialty grains, and I couldn't figure out what they meant by it, so I went with that kit... Can someone explain what these are to me?

Virtually all of my equipment is from midwest. I started with one of their basic kits.... a few weeks and $200 later and I have buckets and better bottles and a ton of other crap littering my basement

If your kit comes with specialty grains those are for steeping at around 155 degrees for about 30 minutes before starting your boil. Usually you put them in some sort of grain bag and it's basically like making a big cup of tea.

Specialty grains are crushed grains that give your boil water a little more flavor and adds some complexity to your beer. Crystal is a type of grain and usually has a number associated with it (in Lovibond) to say how light or dark it is. So for instance, Crystal 10L is light, Crystal 120L is dark.

I think many people who brew using kits or recipes do this. It is called Extract with Specialty Grains. Bascially, you just steep these grains at a specified temperature (somewhere between 150 and 170 degrees F) and their flavors are infused into your boil water. Two great books are How to Brew, by John Palmer and The Complete Joy of Hombrewing by Charlie Papazian. Those would be a great addition to your starting equipment.

Enjoy!

__________________
"It is sheer folly to be taken by the hand and led down the path of better brewing by someone who says that they know it all. No, it is your experience that counts most. It is your experience that will always lead you to more questions."

I was originally going to follow the beginning recipe in my book, but for the preboil it specifies i need 1/2lb of crystal crushed specialty grains, and I couldn't figure out what they meant by it

They probably mean Crystal 40. It's a good safe bet for a crystal malt when no specifics are given. In fact, I think I remember in the late 80s that if you said "crystal" it meant "crystal 40" and very few people knew there was any other kind! :-)